Daybreak
by GalaxyCollector
Summary: Willow Danvers has never had a problem letting her twin sister, Captain Marvel, save the day. Unfortunately, after Thanos comes and wipes out half of humanity she can't feign blissful ignorance any longer. What will she do, then, when she can't reach her sister or any of her friends? Will she be able to find a way to let people over the walls she's built to protect herself?
1. Prologue

Willow came back into the living room with a new glass of wine clutched in her hand. She couldn't take her eyes off the screen as she watched her two favorite characters shoot daggers at each other.

"Oh my God," she groaned, "just kiss already."

She sat down slowly, almost falling off the edge of the couch because she wasn't paying attention. She squealed loudly when their lips finally touched and all the sexual tension from the first two seasons came pouring out. The clothes came off next and she grinned wide, feeling vindicated for believing these two would get together one day. A loud knock at the door pulled her out of the moment and she jostled her glass as she jumped up.

She squinted through the peephole before yelping loudly and jerking the door open. She pulled Pepper into a hug and over the threshold.

"What are you doing here?" she asked into the other woman's hair before pulling back.

"Tony," Pepper said flatly, her only reply.

"Yeah, that guy's the worst," she joked. Pepper didn't laugh. "Yikes."

She walked into the apartment fully, Happy dragging behind. Willow pulled him into a quick hug too before whispering, "What'd he do now?"

Happy just shrugged before shutting the door. He knew. He always knew, but he wasn't going to take this away from Pepper, who was already sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. She was somehow ignoring the moans coming from the TV as the characters Willow loved effectively ruined their strained friendship.

There's no going back now, she thought before turning it off.

When she switched it off, she turned her attention to Pepper, rubbing her back. She put the wine glass down on the coffee table in front of them and pulled her in for another hug.

Pepper wrapped her arms around Willow too and let out a gentle sob.

"What happened?" she asked again.

"He left," she said after a second. "Just walked right through a portal. Then he called and... and..." Willow waited patiently for Pepper to find the right words. "And then he called me from a spaceship or something."

"Like the spaceship?" Willow asked in awe.

She'd seen it on the news like everyone else. Another group of aliens coming to wreak havoc on a big city and, of course, Tony had been there. He was always in the middle of the chaos. She was used to him creating it, but now he was more mature. An adult. Which meant he was the one fixing the problems these days.

"Isn't it always?" Pepper said.

Willow snapped her mouth shut and pursed her lips. It was always like that with Tony. One of the many hazards of caring for him.

"He always comes back, though." Willow offered. "Doesn't he? I really don't think we're ever gonna get off that easy."

Pepper gave a watery laugh and sat back up. The tears had been silent, but had left streaks in her otherwise flawless makeup.

"I don't see how you've put up with him for this long," she admitted.

"Eh," Willow shrugged. "45 years isn't that long."

She gave another laugh, this one more genuine than the last, and Willow could see she could distract her. It was just going to take some work. Pepper had dealt with Tony for a long time too and that took its toll on you. Especially when that man was responsible for saving the world. A world that seemed to get in trouble more than stay out of it lately.

"You know what we should do?" Willow asked, clapping her hands together.

"Get drunk," Happy suggested.

"That," she answered with a smirk, "and we can play Avengers Monopoly."

"You have that?" Happy asked.

Pepper stared at her for a second. Willow was convinced she was going to tell her that was a stupid suggestion, but she just burst out laughing instead. Willow smiled and stood up to grab the game.

"You get the alcohol. I'll get the game," Happy corrected, shooing her to the kitchen.

She saluted him and he rolled his eyes before making his way down the hall. She loved how well they knew their way around. They were all so comfortable here and it was like welcoming roommates home every time they, or Tony, dropped by.

She put the wine bottle she'd been nursing all afternoon under her arm and grabbed another from the small fridge. She walked back to Happy who was already pulling the board and pieces out, but Pepper was nowhere to be found.

"Bathroom," he answered.

"I'm Thor," she said in response, which made Happy perk an eyebrow at her. "What? Don't act like you didn't know my type was tall and blonde, okay?"

"With one eye, apparently."

"What? Who hurt my baby?" she demanded.

Happy chuckled, "No idea. Tony said they got a transmission or something. He's with Loki. Maybe he did it."

"Loki would never."

"Sure," he said slowly.

"I'm just surprised he didn't tell me."

"Maybe he was afraid you wouldn't be not-so-secretly in love with him anymore."

"Not possible," she teased.

They gave Pepper the Iron Man piece without thinking and Willow started snickering when she saw the piece Happy had in his hand.

"What?"

"Spider-Man, huh?"

"I was just holding it. I didn't pick Spider-Man."

"Uh huh. Whatever you say, old man. I know you got a soft spot for the kid."

"I—no—listen..."

Willow stared at him, grinning wide, waiting for him to finish his thought.

"He's a good kid," he finally mumbled, slamming the piece down next to the other two.

"He is," she agreed quietly.

Willow topped off her glass and offered one to Happy, who refused. Like always.

"Come on," she pleaded. "You're not working."

"I'm always working."

She put his glass back, knowing he'd take it eventually, and they both fell into a comfortable silence as they waited for Pepper. Happy let his head hit the cushion behind him and his eyes slowly closed.

A loud crash shook the whole building, making them both shot straight up. They looked around for the source like it was in her apartment, which they knew couldn't be true.

They heard the screams next, coming from every direction. Willow's heart started to beat wildly uneven in her chest. Happy grabbed her hand and he pulled her toward the bathroom, where Pepper hadn't made a noise the whole time.

"Pepper," Happy called cautiously as they made their way. "You okay?"

"Pepper?" Willow spoke up. "Say something."

Happy gave her hand a gentle squeeze once as they stood in front of the bathroom door. He pushed it open slowly, finding nothing but a pile of ashes in her place.


	2. T is for Trauma

Happy and Willow walked into the cavernous building, greeted only by more silence. The ride over had been marred by devastation and death... and silence. Neither of them had found the words to make it better. Nothing could.

Happy had ahold of Willow's hand as they turned a corner, heading straight for Tony's lab. All the lights were off. No one was here, but there also wasn't any little piles of ashes where people used to be either. There'd been enough of that to haunt Willow's dreams forever.

She sat down hard on the cold ground, not wanting to take another step. Tony wasn't here and she didn't need any more confirmation of that. Happy floated into her view, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. His mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out except for a dull buzzing noise. Her field of vision was blurring around the edges and closing in fast. Her throat felt tight. She couldn't make herself take a full, deep breath.

She laid down fully and let the cool tile take over all her senses as Happy rushed off somewhere. She didn't know what he was doing and she didn't care. She just tried to make her lungs work like they were supposed to.

She couldn't get it out of her head that Tony wasn't here. He should have been waiting for them, a serious look on his face, as he rattled off whatever ridiculous plan he'd come up with in the meantime. This wasn't right. She couldn't be alone like this.

Happy came back and put a damp, ice cold rag on the back of her neck and slid down the wall until he was sitting beside her. He pulled her hand back into his, like it was his lifeline as much as he was hers.

She realized, after an absurd amount of time she was sure, she could hear Happy breathing slowly next to her. She pushed herself up until she was sitting with her back to the wall too. There wasn't a part of her that didn't ache, including her heart. That was where the squeeze she felt all over seemed to originate.

"He's supposed to be here," she finally whispered.

Happy leaned over and put his head on her shoulder, but didn't talk.

Just as her own eyes started to close, exhaustion finally taking its toll, they popped back open again. It hit her so suddenly it almost knocked the wind out of her.

"I'm gonna call Carol."

Happy was awake too, "How? What? How?"

She riffled through the bag she couldn't remember bringing in with her and pulled out the only way she knew to contact her sister. She was Willow's last and final hope. She didn't know how far this particular issue reached, but it didn't seem to discriminate based on whether you belonged to Earth or not, from what little they did know.

The ancient and alien piece of technology felt heavy in her hand as she pushed several buttons at once. Then she heard it. The beeping was invading all her senses and it was getting louder. She let the communicator fall to her side as she followed it. Happy was walking beside her too, holding his hands over his ears. It was getting worse.

"What is that?" Happy called over the noise.

They walked through the maze that was Tony's office in search of it. The lights switched on as they made their way through. There was definitely more paperwork and strange contraptions than Willow remembered it having, but it'd been forever since she'd made her way out to see the Avengers on their home turf.

"There," Happy said, pointing at a computer screen.

It kept up, almost like a heartbeat. It was certainly the right rhythm; maybe a little fast. Willow sat down in his chair and pushed the space bar to wake it up.

"Ms. Danvers, it's nice to see you again," F.R.I.D.A.Y said loudly.

"You too, F.R.I.D.A.Y. Can you turn that down, please?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The beeping, and her voice, were now at a more manageable level.

"Would you like me to patch you through to Mr. Stark?" she continued.

"Mr. Stark?" Willow asked, disbelief coloring her words.

"Yes."

"He's alive?" Happy asked.

The scratchy noise of a damaged speaker system came to life around them next. It was just him breathing heavily, but she knew it was him. He was alive.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y, can he hear me?"

"Who is that? Who's there?" he yelled.

"Tony? Tony, it's me."

She was right next to the microphone, not that it changed anything. She just wanted to feel like she was close to him. She needed her best friend with her.

"Will?" he asked, giving a huge sigh of relief.

"You're okay," she said.

"Where are you?"

"Where are you?"

They asked each other at the same time and both gave an uneasy laugh.

"You first," he commanded.

"We're at headquarters."

"We? Pepper's with you? Oh, thank God."

"Umm, no. It's me and Happy."

"Oh," was all he said for a minute. "Do you know where she is?"

Willow took a deep breath and lied, "No. I tried to call. She didn't answer. But that doesn't mean anything. Okay? She's the head of a huge company. She's probably just bossing people around somewhere." He gave another uneasy chuckle. "Your turn."

"Uh, it's complicated."

"When is it not with you?" she teased.

"Very true."

They got quiet again and Willow hung her head as she waited for him to answer. She hated lying to anyone, but with Tony it seemed like the worst possible offense. They didn't do that with each other. He'd probably never forgive her, but she couldn't think about that right now. She just needed to get him home.

"I'm sorta on Titan."

"As in Saturn's moon?" she screeched.

"Umm, no."

"Damnit, Tony, I..."

"I know, Will. I know. I'm sorry."

"I'll figure it out."

"Will, I have no idea where I am. No ship. Kinda, sorta crashed the one I came in on..."

"I'll figure it out," she interrupted forcefully.

Tony didn't say anything else and worked on steadying himself. His heartbeat slowed, but not enough for Willow to be completely comfortable.

She looked back at Happy and shrugged her shoulders. She knew exactly what she needed to do and exactly what she was dreading. If Carol was alive, she could go and get Tony. It might take a while to figure out where he was, but it was better than nothing. If she wasn't... she shook her head to rid it of that thought. She couldn't get caught up in it.

She pulled up the communicator in front of her face again and pushed all the necessary buttons to call her sister. She slid down the wall again and dragged the microphone into her lap. And then she did the only thing she could do: wait.

^ chapter title from happylilprompts on Tumblr (via Pinterest)


	3. Bee Stung Heart and Death

Willow jerked awake right before the part of her nightmare that always had Pepper slipping out of her grasp. She hated how detailed it was becoming. Every single time she couldn't be saved. Every single time it made Willow sick to her stomach.

She tried to shake herself awake fully, but couldn't quite manage. She saw Happy curled up beside her, sleeping peacefully. She didn't know how he was doing that, if it was true. His snores definitely made it sound true. She pulled the microphone back to her mouth from where it had fallen on the floor.

"Tony?"

Silence.

"Tony? You okay?"

Silence.

She looked over at the screen and saw his heart still beating softly, up and down on the monitor.

"I'm here," he said, his voice tired.

"Go back to sleep. Sorry."

"You go back to sleep, butthead."

"Not a chance," she admitted.

Willow let her eyes close though, against her better judgment, still clutching the mic in her hands. It was her only link to Tony and she wasn't letting it go.

"Is Nebula still there?"

"I don't have anywhere to go, Ms. Danvers," her voice came through.

She seemed just as tired as Tony.

"Just checking."

She wasn't sure how long it was that she sat there never truly asleep, but eventually Happy woke up and went in search of food. She picked at what he handed her, not paying attention to anything else but the monitor.

"Gimme," he commanded.

He held out his hand for the microphone and she jerked it out of his way. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, I see that. Humor me."

Willow carefully unfurled her fingers and she winced when they moved. It hurt to breathe anymore. Any movement felt weird, almost foreign.

Happy sat up and patted his shoulder for her to lay down, knowing she wasn't going to leave the lab. Before she closed her eyes, she watched the monitor and checked the time.

22 hours since she'd left Carol a message and received no answer. Tony could wait a little longer. She'd be there soon. She had to be.

"Pepper still hasn't called back?" Tony asked suddenly, his voice getting raspier by the minute.

"No," Willow answered quietly.

They were now working on hour 36 and Tony was running out of food and water. The fact that he even had any should have made her laugh, but nothing about this was funny. Only he would think far enough ahead to put snacks in his suit.

Her brain was starting to realize something the rest of her wasn't willing to accept yet. It was becoming a real possibility she may have to listen to her friend die.

She wiped the tears that hadn't stopped falling for the last hour out of exhaustion. It was mostly quiet, but every now and then she would let out a whimper and Tony would moan, like it was hurting him to hear her in pain.

"Call her again."

"Of course," she conceded.

She knew she should stop, just tell him the truth, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He was probably catching on, but there was no way she could bring herself to cause hurt him like that.

Every time they did get to hear her voice, they'd smile for a minute before letting the misery take back over. Those couple of seconds were all that was keeping them sane, but it wouldn't last much longer.

1\. Up. Down. 2. Up. Down. 3. Up. Down.

She'd started counting his heartbeats and listening to him breathe somewhere around hour 42. She'd start over again when she forgot what number she was on, her other thoughts distracting her. She never made it past 90 or so. It gave her something to do and she felt like somehow she was keeping him alive. Not that it was even remotely real.

Hour 47. Tony was officially out of everything. It wasn't how she'd imagined any of this, not that she ever let her mind go there for too long. She'd lost people before, but it was always quick and painless. For the other person, at least. This was a horrible way to die. It wasn't fair. None of it was. He was alone, except for Nebula.

The speakers started to give a high-pitched whine, making Willow sit up straighter. It was almost like feedback, but it was different. Obnoxiously loud, but different.

"Tony," she screamed, "can you hear that?"

"Yeah," he shouted back. "I think..."

The noise got louder and louder until they couldn't hear the monitor beeping anymore. Happy and Willow covered their ears.

Then it stopped and Tony sounded like he was running. Willow wasn't even sure how that was possible right now. It had to be the adrenaline. She just prayed if he was running away from something he was fast enough to get away. They stared at the screen waiting for anything that might tell them what was happening.

"Ms. Danvers?" F.R.I.D.A.Y asked.

"Yeah?"

"It appears your sister has arrived on Titan."

Happy screamed and picked her up off her feet, twirling her around the room. She all but collapsed in his arms, the weight of all that had happened in the last two days melting away for a second.

"Oh my God," she rejoiced.

"Nope, just me," Carol teased.

Happy laughed and pulled the mic to his mouth, Willow still attached. "You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice."

"Hey, Happy. Hey, Will."

Willow's whole body tightened as it remembered the tension that had been crushing her for the last decade. She was relieved Tony would be alright and that her sister hadn't been swept up in whatever had happened, but she'd still left her all alone on this huge planet. The one person who was never supposed to do that to her had betrayed her.

Willow shook her head furiously when Happy put it under her mouth. She crossed her arms over her chest, letting go of the microphone.

"So, uh, what's the GPS say? Be here at 10? Maybe 10:30?"

Carol laughed loudly and Willow found she was smiling at the sound without meaning to.

"Be there soon, Happy. I promise."

"Thank you, Carol," Happy said for Willow.

"You're welcome."

There was some jostling and they realized their part of the conversation was over. The other group was talking amongst themselves, but they couldn't tear themselves away from the sounds either.

"Is it just you guys?" Carol asked.

"Yeah, uh, just us," Nebula answered. "Now."

Willow could hear Carol adjusting different seat belts in whatever kind of ship she'd gotten. She seemed satisfied after a minute and a deep whirring noise took over. Willow reached over and turned down the volume.

"Hey, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?"

"Yes, Ms. Danvers?"

"We're going to take a nap. Scare the shit outta us with the alarm system or something if they get into any trouble."

She grabbed Happy's hand and lead him to the small living area right next to the lab.

"Yes, ma'am."

The lights dimmed and Happy pulled a blanket off the back of one of the couches to wrap them both up in. It wasn't long before that same awful nightmare was back.

It felt like it hadn't been any real time and all the alarms were going off. She jumped straight up and looked around for the source, but her mind was still too foggy to make sense of it. Happy was right beside her and he didn't look he was faring much better.

"Ms. Danvers," F.R.I.D.A.Y. said, cutting the alarms off. "you asked to be alerted..."

"Yeah, sorry. What's going on?"

"Captain Rogers is approaching."

"Captain Rogers?"

"And several others," she tacked on.

Willow rushed over to the nearest monitor and F.R.I.D.A.Y. switched the view so she could see what was happening. It was definitely Steve, Thor, Bruce, and Nat. Her face fell when she didn't see anyone else with them.

She couldn't make her feet move, she was still basically asleep, so she waited impatiently for them to find her and Happy. Their voices were sending shockwaves to her heart. She'd assumed they were all gone too and even though she wished there was more of them to greet her, this was good enough for now. Tony would fix it.

"Oh my God," Rhodey screamed the minute he saw her, "Willow?"

She held out her arms as he tackled her back onto the nearest chair. She was more than a little thrilled to be wrapped up in him. He'd always been happy to be her Tony stand-in and today didn't seem to be any different. She let go of all she'd been holding onto and started to sob. Rhodey held her quietly as she got it all out, no one brave enough to ask any questions yet.

She sat back eventually and looked to the rest of the group, giving them an uncomfortable laugh. She hated looking weak in front of anyone, but these were her friends. Mostly. She stood up and walked over to Thor, who was holding out his arms for her.

She touched his face where a simple, leather patch was covering his eye. No one said a word, though. They just stared down at their hands as she gave Thor a hug and then moved back to her spot next to Rhodey.

"Umm," she started lamely. "Is anyone gonna tell me what the hell just happened?"

"Where's Pepper?" Rhodey asked, like it had hit him suddenly.

"She's—uh—she's...," Willow stuttered, getting choked up again.

"Tony?" Natasha asked.

"He's on his way," Happy interjected.

Everyone let out a breath they clearly didn't know they'd been holding. It was obvious Willow wasn't the only one who thought Tony was the answer to their prayers.

"You're the only ones here?" Steve asked, looking around.

Willow wasn't sure who he was hoping for, but it was just them. She just nodded, not sure how else to answer him. He leaned back further in his chair.

"Willow," she said, thrusting a hand forward to introduce herself properly.

"Steve," he replied, shaking her hand.

"You two haven't met before?" Thor finally spoke up.

"Nah. Team Iron Man," she said as an answer.

It just seemed to confuse him though. He hadn't been here for the fight, so that made sense.

"Best friends for life and all that," Bruce piped up.

"And all that," she repeated with a smile.

"Well, someone better start talkin'," Happy interrupted again. "Because the humans in the room would really like to know what's going on."

He pointed to himself and Willow, like they didn't already know who he was talking about. Now it was their turn to look uncomfortable. She knew exactly why too. They'd messed up. They were responsible for fixing the messes and they'd clearly made one. Or failed. Otherwise, they wouldn't all be in this position. Tony had failed too, but Willow had learned a long time ago she'd forgive him for anything. Right now, they just needed him back. They just needed to put it all back the way it was. That's all that mattered.

^ chapter title from coffin-prompts on Tumblr (via Pinterest)


	4. Ironically Alive

With everyone off taking a shower and getting the last couple of days off them, Willow was in the kitchen. It was the only thing she knew how to do in this situation. She hated the feeling of being useless, but that was just one of the many hazards of your best friends being superheroes. Granted, this particular feeling of inadequacy outdated Tony stepping into that suit. Being the astonishingly human twin sister of the fabulous and remarkable Captain Marvel brought out all kinds of feelings. It was horrible and she wasn't looking forward to that rearing its ugly head when Carol got there.

"Whatcha making?" Rhodey asked and she jumped. "Sorry, kid."

She giggled quietly. "It's okay. And I'm making your favorite."

She was still clutching her chest as he walked over and took the spoon out of the nearest pot. He groaned approvingly before pulling her in for another hug.

"You know," he said, "you don't look a day over 25. It's making me feel like a creepy old man for being this attracted to you."

She swatted his arm playfully. "I do not look 25, weirdo. But thank you for the strange compliment. I think."

"Yeah, ya do."

He leaned over the counter, picking at different things laid out buffet-style.

"You're gonna tell him about Pepper, right?"

"How do you know I didn't already?"

He got quiet and when she looked over at him he was giving her the usual 'who-you-lying-to' look. She hated how well he knew her. Sure, she'd known Tony the longest, but Rhodey knew her best. It'd been forever since their ill-fated relationship had crashed and burned in a glorious fashion, but it hadn't changed anything between them. He'd always be her first true love.

"I'll tell him," she finally said.

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and went back to grazing as she finished up the meal. She leaned into it, finding that she was craving his touch. She didn't really like that about herself. She didn't want to need him like this.

Everyone streamed in slowly from their separate rooms, Bruce being the last to join. They all sat down on the barstools opposite Willow and ate quietly. They were in mourning, just like she was, and she knew how hard it was to pretend you were actually tasting anything you were eating. She appreciated that they were trying, though.

"I'm sorry," Thor offered first. "We didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know," Willow answered. "But I have to know what did happen. I don't understand what went on. One second I'm bitching about Tony being gone with Pepper and then half the world disappeared."

"We lost," Natasha said.

"We were up against Thanos," Bruce spoke next. "He... he had all the Infinity Stones and..."

Willow leaned forward and steadied herself on the counter. She knew what this meant now. Tony and Willow had had lengthy discussions about this possibility over the last couple of years. They weren't coming back. Any of them. They were gone to a place no one could rescue them from.

"Has anyone been in contact with Hill? Or Fury?" Happy asked.

"We haven't talked to anyone but you guys," Bruce continued.

Thor clapped him on the back in an attempt to be reassuring, but it just shook his whole body. Willow smiled at the interaction, but it faded quickly. She could feel someone staring at her as she tried to calm down, but she didn't feel like trying to see who it was. It didn't really matter anyway.

Then the surface she was holding onto started to shake. She pulled her hands back but it didn't stop. Then she noticed everything was shaking. Everyone was looking around for the source just as Willow was bolting out the nearest door. Happy wasn't far behind and she knew it would probably be a while before he ever really was.

The large craft came into view as soon as it cleared the ominous clouds that had settled over headquarters. Happy gasped and Willow found she wasn't surprised at all. Leave it to Carol to come home in the most ridiculous spaceship she could find.

Always has to make an entrance, she thought bitterly.

She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for the engine, or whatever it was, to come to a stop. The minute Tony's face appeared though, all of her anger vanished. She ran forward and jumped into his arms. They were just a pile of laughter as they got to hold each other. Every single moment she'd spent worrying about him was forgotten. He pushed her hair back to look in her face.

"God, Will. Calm down. I told you... I'm always okay."

"I wasn't worried," she lied, laughing again.

He threw an arm around her shoulder finally and steered her back in the direction of everyone else who was waiting for them. He kept putting a kiss on her temple every couple of steps like he couldn't believe he was here either.

The minute he was inside, he was manually removing his suit. The whole thing looked strange in pieces. He had a huge smile on his face as he looked around though. He was clearly taking a different approach to this than they were. He was seeing who was left, where she saw who was missing. Leave it to him to put it all in perspective.

Carol gave a well-placed cough to get Willow's attention and the good atmosphere was zapped out of the room. Willow rounded on her, eyes blazing.

"You wanna do this right now? In front of everyone, Captain Marvel?" she hissed with disdain. "'Cause I'm pretty sure you don't want to be embarrassed like that."

Rhodey tried to move her back a couple of inches but she shrugged him off.

"What..."

"No," Willow interrupted, "you don't get to say shit to me. The time for saying anything is over. You had 10 years and now you get to be quiet."

Carol snapped her mouth closed and waited for Willow. "You left me. You left me. With Dad. You finally turned into something he could be proud of and then you leave me with him. He was unbearable. And then he died and you missed that too."

"You literally just gave all the reasons I wouldn't be," Carol mumbled.

"I have been calling you," Willow continued, ignoring her completely. "Why did you chose now to answer?"

"Oh, I don't know," Carol replied sarcastically. "Half the damn universe disappeared. I thought it might be important."

"And it wasn't when my husband died?"

"Thomas..."

"Yes, Carol. He died and you weren't here."

"You had—had Tony and Rhodes," she said, trying to defend herself.

"I wanted my sister, Carol. I wanted you."

"Well, your sister was off saving the world, remember?"

"You did a piss poor job of it because everyone is gone," she screamed. "You were gone for nothing. You missed everything for nothing."

Carol and Willow were nose to nose just and just as Carol opened her mouth to reply, they could hear Tony walking through the rooms calling for Pepper. Both women deflated instantly and Rhodey put an arm around Willow's middle to steady her. Between the grief and exhaustion, it was a wonder she was standing at all. Having to tell Tony was going to be the worst of it.

"I'm here now," Carol whispered, obviously realizing what Tony wasn't ready to.

Willow grabbed her hand and squeezed lightly. She needed her, whether she was ready to admit that or not. She would need all her strength to crush her best friend, the man who had seen her through her worst.

"Tony," Willow called. "Can you come in here?"

"Be right there, Will."

She looked around the room and motioned for everyone to leave. Most did, but Rhodey stayed put beside her on the couch and Happy remained in the doorway. Carol even stayed, hovering just out of her line of sight. Willow knew how much guilt Happy was harboring with this and he felt like he should have to witness it too. He'd earned it, but she didn't agree.

"I can handle this, Happy."

"I'm not leaving."

She huffed quietly at his stubbornness as Tony made his way back to them.

"I know you said she wasn't answering, but I thought maybe she was here by now."

"Tony, I need to tell you something."

"Okay..."

"Pepper was with me," she blurted out.

"When?"

"When everyone disappeared," she answered quietly.

Tony looked around at their faces, waiting for someone to laugh at the joke. No one did though.

"You lied," he accused.

"Yes."

"Because you knew I wouldn't come home."

"Yes," she repeated.

"Did you really not see how useless I'd be without her? Why bring me back at all?"

"She would have killed me if I left you there," she said. "She'd kill both of us."

"She's not here now. Why care what she thinks?"

Willow bowed her head, not knowing what else to do for him. There really wasn't anything. She knew he'd be mad, definitely heartbroken, but this disappointment in his voice was worse somehow. It was just hurt.

"We'll figure this out," Bruce spoke up out of the wings.

Willow hadn't even noticed everyone had walked back in. The small living room, one of the many in this place, was bursting with too many people now. It was making her feel closed in, like she couldn't breathe again. She hated this and wanted it to just go away.

"Go check on Clint and Scott," Steve whispered somewhere behind her. "Tony let's go for a walk."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, asshole."

"I can handle myself," Willow said, turning to face him.

"He already hates me," Steve's only response.

Willow didn't watch as he filed out of the room. Steve went out behind him while everyone stood there with stunned looks on their faces. Willow wasn't the only one who didn't know what to do next and it wasn't comforting in the slightest.

^ chapter title from happylilprompts (via tumblr)


	5. The Void Screams Back

Willow stared at Carol and Steve as they chatted together happily. They were joking and laughing and it felt weird. Not to be watching, necessarily. Just that it was happening at all. Everyone had gone back to their normal, whatever that was, and Willow had taken personal offense to it. Granted, her own ways of dealing with her grief had led her to Rhodey and it wasn't exactly healthy, but laughing felt out of line somehow.

 _Everything felt wrong._

She got up from her chair and walked away. She had no idea where she was going, but she had to be doing something. Anything was better than watching all the supers being productive. Even Tony had been locked up in his lab for days, looking for a way out of their mess. Without the time stone, it was hard to see the end of this very long and dark tunnel.

She gave a small wave and a half-hearted smile to Rhodey as she passed him, but motioned for him not to follow either. She needed a minute alone.

Willow opened a random door off the main hallway and walked inside. She didn't even care if it was a garage at this point. It was quiet. That's all she really needed.

When she opened her eyes she was surrounded by art, which she was more than fine with. Leave it to Tony to have a random art gallery in the compound for no reason whatsoever. None of the photographs or paintings that lined the wall seemed not to follow any sort of theme. But with Tony, chaos was a theme and it was beautiful. Most of the time.

After a minute or two, she heard the door open on the other side of the room. She didn't stop to see who it was. She kept walking through different scenes, determined not to care about who had followed her. She wasn't in a mood to talk.

She felt Steve beside her before she looked, though. Of course it was him. Ever the peacemaker of the group. He'd made up with Carol, which Willow thought would never happen after his 'little lady' comment the day before. It was Steve and you couldn't be upset with America's Golden Boy. It went against God. Or the founding fathers, at the very least.

"What do you want?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing," he lied.

She walked further on, leaving him at the first painting.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"It's a free country, right? Thanks to you."

He chuckled humorlessly. Suddenly, she saw Carol at the other end of the gallery. They were boxing her in. She couldn't leave without talking. They were forcing her to deal with her issues. She had absolutely no desire. She could ignore them if she wanted. She would. Carol had to know that's where she was mentally, even being gone as long as she had.

"You know," Steve started up again. "Hopper has a way of making even simple scenes appear unsettling."

He was referencing the painting in front of them both now and he recited it like every single art history teacher she'd ever had. She looked him over, wondering if he meant to be condescending. It was Steve, so probably not.

She looked back to the painting, one she'd seen a hundred times, and he was right in what he'd said. Maybe it was the fact that this was one of her favorites. Chop Suey always had been. Or maybe he had just assumed she wouldn't know about it. He wasn't malicious. It just rubbed her the wrong way. Every tiny thing was setting her off lately and before she could stop herself it fell past her lips.

"Have you heard of the term 'mansplaining'?"

"Umm, no. But I have a feeling you're going to 'womansplain' it to me."

She laughed louder than she had in a week. "I am."

He waited for her to talk again. "Basically, it's when a guy tells you something about a subject and assumes you don't know because you're a woman."

Carol laughed and tried to cover it up with a cough. Steve was tripping over his words now to make up for his mistake. Willow knew it wasn't intentional, but he couldn't change if he didn't know. And she felt like correcting someone right now. She wanted him to be wrong. She felt like making Captain America human for a second.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't—I wouldn't..."

"Calm down," she teased. "I know, it's just I kinda have a Masters of Fine Arts from Columbia so..."

"Right," he said, smiling down at her. "I didn't mean to 'mansplain'."

"It's okay, old man. I know for you women should probably still be in the kitchen or whatever."

He chuckled and shook his head before standing next to her as she kept on to the next photograph. He was quiet, never overwhelming, as they commented on one and then another. He let her take the lead each time.

Willow knew what they were doing in there and what they both wanted to talk about. And it wasn't paintings. She just wasn't going to open that box right now. She wasn't ready. She could deal with one thing at a time, and right now that was getting out of bed in the morning and appearing presentable. That's all she had the strength for. Without Pepper, without all of them, she couldn't be asked to do anything more. Which was why she knew Steve and Carol weren't being pushy.

Willow moved on and left Steve in front of another Jackson Pollock. When she came around the corner, she was met with the most impossibly gorgeous scenery. The orange and red clashed beautifully with the tranquil browns of the buildings that were on fire. She couldn't remember ever seeing it before. She could almost smell the singed cloth and straw of the thatched roof.

No, wait, she could definitely smell it. Why could she smell it?

Willow looked around and saw that she was in the painting. Several people stood next to her. They were in awe of the atrocity happening in front of them. Some were crying. None were paying attention to her, if they could see her at all.

She closed her eyes tight and wished herself back to the compound and the art gallery where Steve and Carol were. She didn't know what else to do to get herself out of the oddly vivid daydream she'd found herself in. Her whole world was on its side, so it made sense that strange things would happen left and right.

Right?

"Willow?" Carol screeched. "Steve, I found her."

"Willow?" he asked, coming closer.

She was still too nervous to open her eyes. Then she heard the footfalls of the others running toward them. Had her dream been that real?

"She's here," Steve answered as more people came into the room.

She chanced it and opened her eyes, looking around to verify she was actually back where she should be.

"Where the hell did you go?" Tony asked, upset.

"I—I—wait, I left?"

"Yeah, babe. You left," Rhodey said.

He smoothed her long blonde hair out of her face from where it was sticking in places because of all the sweat. She didn't miss the way he used the pet name so easily either. He was staring straight into her eyes and she had no idea what he was seeing. Nothing seemed to scare him. That was good.

"I left?"

He just nodded and shooed everyone else away. Of course, Tony didn't leave. She was happy to see he wasn't too mad at her. He still cared about her on some level.

She wasn't ready for what happened next, though. Through the air, because nothing else made sense, a man appeared. He stepped through the golden rings that came out of his hands.

"Wong," Tony addressed him, like this was perfectly normal behavior. "I think Thor and Banner were just coming to check on you. Glad to see you didn't die."

"Who traveled?" Wong asked, looking around at everyone. "Was it you?"

He was pointing directly at Willow's chest. "Traveled?"

"Traveled through time," he clarified. "Without a time stone."

"What?" Everyone yelled at the same time.

"There's no way. I didn't travel through time. I just had a very intense daydream. It's..."

Wong was giving her a look that made it perfectly clear what he was trying to get her to understand. She needed to re-examine what had happened immediately and adjust. Willow couldn't time travel though. Only superheroes got to do the fun stuff.

"Do it again," Wong commanded.

"I can't," she retorted. "I don't know what I did. If I did anything."

"Try."

He was talking to her as if everyone else was staring right at them. She knew it shouldn't make her feel safe, to have him there, she didn't even know him. But something about the way he moved as he watched her seemed to relax every muscle she had. Like it was supposed to be this way.

She closed her eyes again, not sure where else to start. She hadn't closed her eyes the first time, but it seemed right. She could hear everyone around her talking in a hushed tone. They were frantic. They didn't believe it either. They couldn't and she didn't blame them. She didn't. She wanted one of them to tell her it was silly.

Let the menfolk handle it, Will, she kept waiting for Tony to joke. And yet, her savior didn't come.

"I can't," she repeated, her eyes still closed.

"You need quiet," he said.

"I can't," she said again, trying to make him understand.

She couldn't do this, whatever it was they were asking of her. He needed to drop it and help find a way to get Pepper back instead of playing with this idea. If he could do all that with his hands, he could help more than she could.

"She time-traveled?" Tony asked.

"I believe so. The last time I felt energy that strong, well..."

"Well?" Steve asked.

"I was in the company of Dr. Strange, as he liked to be called."

This simple comment spurred something inside Tony as he rushed off, back to his lab. She sincerely hoped it wasn't because he expected her to save the day. That was the last thing Willow Danvers would ever be good for.

^chapter title from sarcastic-screaming on tumblr (via Pinterest)


	6. Error 404: Hero Not Found

"Again," Wong demanded.

Willow stared him down and screamed all the cuss words she knew, in her head. He smirked and she wondered how safe her mind was. Then she realized she didn't want to know. The not knowing was fun sometimes. Especially now. She desperately wished she could go back to a time when she didn't know this too.

She took a deep breath and held out her hand for Carol to take. They'd already agreed she would be Willow's anchor. Carol's time-traveling ability had been even more finicky than Willow's, so it was her job to make sure Willow could get home. They still hadn't completely made up, but they were better than before. They were talking. They'd hash it all out soon, but for now they were worried about getting everyone back where they belonged. For once, Willow was important to a mission. She still didn't know if she liked that or not yet.

With their fingertips barely touching, Willow let her mind go blank like Wong had been training her to do. She pulled out the image they'd been working on: her apartment in Chicago. She knew it better than anywhere else, so Wong decided this was the best place to start. She was getting good at conjuring up very specific parts of it, but she hadn't actually left since the other day with the painting. And that was by accident. Wong insisted that she could do it again. But as the hours turned to days, she was feeling less confident.

He'd also told her, in great detail, what she was capable of. She hated the pressure this "power" offered her. She found herself wishing a couple of times she could give it back and go back to blending in with the wallpaper, but she didn't really mean it. She liked helping. Loved even, maybe.

"Again," Wong repeated, but it sounded far away.

She opened her eyes slowly and realized what had happened. Willow jerked herself back to the compound without meaning to and saw Carol smiling over at her, hand still outstretched.

"That was very, very good, Willow. Would you like to try again? Or should we break for lunch?"

"Lunch at my place?" she joked.

"Sure," he answered.

Willow closed her eyes, more determined, and forced herself to appear in her dining room. Seconds after she got there, Wong appeared at her side through his portal. A small part of her was resentful of how easy he seemed to have it, but she never voiced that. She knew it wasn't really as effortless as he made it seem.

"I can only stay for a few moments. And I can't take anything with me. I'm strong, but not as strong as you." She nodded and looked around. "When is this?" he asked.

"Umm, last week. I'm about to get a call from Tony, but I don't hear it. 'Cause my phone is..."

Right on cue, Willow's cell phone started to vibrate on the marble countertop between them. She watched it wistfully before realizing she was alone. She made her way back to Carol again and saw Wong was already back.

"Can I touch things yet?"

"Do you think you can?"

"Yes?"

He chuckled, "Then be confident, Willow. Can you take things?"

"Yes," she said.

"Good. Do it." She gave him a funny look. "Take the cell phone. Bring it here. Put it back."

"What if I see myself?"

"You won't," he answered.

She liked that their training sessions were actually getting more intense, but she didn't enjoy the feeling afterward. She was drained and today would probably be the worst time yet. It was like her body was always playing catch-up for the hell she put it through.

Willow closed her eyes and materialized back in her apartment. She did what she was told with no difficulty. She showed Wong the phone and then went to put it back. Carol clapped lightly beside her and Willow giggled.

They were twins, sure, but her sister had always been on a different level. A pedestal, to be more accurate. She couldn't quite reach her, but now it felt more even. Not totally the same, but not so off balance either.

They did break for lunch finally and ate in Tony's lab, which was becoming their ritual. He wanted to know all about it, but had been banned from training from the beginning. He was just too much of a distraction for Willow, which was to be expected.

Wong spoke is almost imperceptible tones, but she could make out some of the words and her name was in their conversation.

"What is it?" she asked, cutting off Carol.

Tony and Wong turned around and Tony bit his lip. It was something he always did when he was afraid to tell her something because she'd be mad at him. She hated when he did that.

"We were discussing some of the things that may be hard for you," Wong answered truthfully.

"Which are?"

"I'm not sure what the repercussions are for bringing Ms. Potts forward in time."

"And the others?"

"If you don't arrive in time, or even a second too late, you would have to watch Pepper die."

"I can't..."

"I'm not as strong as you, Willow," he continued. "Or even Dr. Strange. I can see some of the outcomes, but not all. Steven could sift through them in seconds. It takes me much longer. I don't know what will happen and that makes me uncomfortable."

"It makes you uncomfortable?" she asked, indignant. "How long would it take you?"

"To test all the outcome and find the best ones? Maybe 6 months or so."

That was out of the question. Tony would die of starvation or exhaustion or something equally horrible before then. She didn't want to watch Pepper die. She really, really didn't, but she didn't see a whole lot of choice here either. She needed to hurry. For both their sakes.

"I'll try," she said, emphasizing the 'try'. She didn't want Tony getting his hopes up, but she was afraid it was too late.

"We will work on it tomorrow morning. If you're up for it," Wong answered.

Willow nodded her head and her heart started to speed up at the thought that she could see Pepper as early as tomorrow. She could be home that soon. She needed her back, so she wasn't complaining. She just wondered how she was supposed to tell her best friend that they'd just lived the past week without them. Was it even something she could be honest with Pepper about? She sure knew that Tony couldn't tell her the truth.

"Clint and Nat are almost back," Steve said, poking his head into the room.

Everyone filed out and went to stand in their normal positions around the room. They all knew what they were about to see. Someone as overwhelmed by grief and sorrow as they'd been. She didn't want that feeling to be multiplied in such a condensed area.

They could hear baby Nathaniel prattling on and it put a smile on her face. It wasn't anything more than babbling, but it meant that this awful thing hadn't touched him yet. They might all know that his mom, brother, and sister were gone, but he was still okay. He wasn't torn and raw like the rest of them. He was going to be a welcome addition to their new home. A salve to the open wound that was this place and these people.

"Hey, guys," Clint said, his voice gravelly.

"Hey," they all offered.

Natasha had Nathaniel propped up on her hip as they came around the corner. Willow was the first to hold out her hands to take him and Nat gave him up easily. Headquarters was going to need a few more babies. She already felt better. Her own little Prozac. She refused to think about anything except his chubby cheeks and making him laugh. She didn't want to think about what tomorrow might bring.

* * *

"I can do this," Willow lied to Tony.

She didn't believe herself and she knew he probably didn't either. He couldn't let himself with what was at stake. It would be too hard if they were wrong. Or worse yet, if Pepper got here only to disappear in front of them all instead. Most scenarios were unspeakable, so they didn't.

"I know," he lied too.

He put a soft kiss on her temple and passed her off to Rhodey, who did the same, before they let her head with Wong to the art gallery. That small space had become her totem in some ways, and that's where she felt she should try her first real trip from. It's where it'd all started and that's where she felt the strongest.

She'd gone over and over in her head as to where she needed to land and at what time. As far as saving people went, Pepper would be the easiest. She knew that apartment better than any other place she might visit soon. Emotionally, well...

She held out her hand for Carol's and closed her eyes. She waited for the sensation of being jerked around to come and it did, stronger than all the other times before. It was a like a rope was attached to her waist and was pulling her back.

She came out of her own personal wormhole in the hallway of her apartment, right where she'd meant to. She was off to a good start. She could hear Happy discussing the game pieces. She smiled at the memory and it faded quickly, like it always did lately.

Willow tiptoed to the bathroom and knocked lightly. She could hear Pepper washing her hands, so she was still there. The water hadn't been on when she and Happy had come to check on her later. She knocked again.

"I'm coming," Pepper called.

Willow's breath caught in her throat. She was really here. It was only a second later that she jerked the door open and gave Willow a puzzled look and looked her up and down. Uh oh, she hadn't thought about what she was wearing that day. Of course Pepper would notice that.

"I need you to come with me."

"Come with you? To the living room?"

She was waiting for Willow to laugh or tease her. Pepper thought she was joking. They needed to get gone, though. They couldn't stay here much longer if Willow had any hope of actually saving her.

Willow grabbed Pepper's hand and, without thinking, forced herself to be pulled forward to where she'd come from.

She was gasping for air as they popped back into existence into Pepper's future. For her, this was only mildly confusing. Her brain was still trying to catch up. She could only imagine the state of Pepper's mind.

"Where are we?"

"Avengers Headquarters," Willow gulped between words.

This was so much worse. Every single part of her hurt. Every muscle, every tendon, was on fire. She couldn't take her eyes off Pepper as she looked around, though. Willow was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

When she managed to hold herself upright, she turned back to Pepper. "Ready?"

Pepper didn't answer, but followed behind Willow quietly. She trusted Willow. There was no way she would be able to travel through time with someone, even her best friend, without asking a thousand questions. Willow was, honestly, in awe of her.

As soon as they broke the tree line, Pepper doubled over in pain. Here it was. The worst. Willow was gasping and sputtering again as she leaned over her friend. She wrapped her arms around Pepper and waited for her friend to disappear.

It felt like an eternity before she pulled back, realizing she was still here.

"What are you doing?" Pepper asked, sitting on the ground.

Willow sat back on her heels and looked at her in disbelief. She was still here. If that was it, they'd be fine. Sure, she wanted to peel off her own skin it hurt so bad, but that was fine. She would learn to deal with that aspect. It was worth it.

"Do you wanna, uh, go inside?" Pepper asked cautiously, pointing to the large building.

Willow nodded and helped her to her feet. It wasn't long before everyone figured out where they were. Wong had to of told them. He was more in tune with Willow when she was gone. It was usually annoying, for someone to know her so well, but for now it was beyond amazing she didn't have to talk.

"I am so, so, so mad at you," she said to Tony as soon as they were wrapped up in each other again.

"I know, Pep. I'm mad at me too."

"I'll never forgive you," she said.

"Yeah, solid game plan," he laughed, tears streaming down his face.

"You okay?" Steve whispered to Willow as everyone walked ahead of them.

"Yeah, great."

She was still about to cry because of the pain, but she wasn't going to be able to wipe the smile off her face either. Especially because this meant she could save everyone. It was time to get to work.


End file.
